Told You So
by ShutUpAndPaddle
Summary: Horatio falls unwell while at work, will he listen to Alexx about starting to take care of himself more now that he's got two babies on the way. Zoe's pregnancy is going well, neither can wait to find out the gender of the babies.
1. Chapter 1

**Told You So**

* * *

**Chapter 1**

"Horatio! Come here Horatio!" Zoë shouted from the en-suite one early morning. Horatio jumped out of bed and accidentally dragged the duvet with him that tangled under his feet, causing him to trip. His heart rate had more than doubled in the few seconds he was awake for. The fall had properly woken him up and he looked up and over to the en-suite where Zoë's calls had come from, the bedroom was full of darkness, but a slither of light came from the en-suite where the door was slightly ajar. "Horatio?" Zoë questioned loudly after she heard the loud thump on the bedroom floor.

"I'm coming Zoë." Horatio called as he kicked the duvet from his feet and got up. He kicked the duvet away and over to the bed to make sure the path was clear for him and pushed the en-suite door open quickly and rushed over to her as she stood in front of the loo with her shorts and underwear around her ankles. The light flooded his sensitive eyes and he squinted at her while she looked up at him with a panicked, yet innocently sweet expression.

"I think my waters have broken!" She panicked as she looked up at him and studied his panicked face as she furrowed her eyebrows deeply. Horatio's eyes adjusted to the light as he looked down but saw nothing but her underwear and shorts around her ankles.

"Where?" Horatio questioned with his panicked expression slowly disappearing as he furrowed his brow and placed a hand on his hip.

"My underwear is soaking and I've not peed myself." She said as she looked up at him and tilted her head. "I think they've broken, haven't they?" Zoë questioned and Horatio closed his eyes briefly and then rubbed his forehead as he exhaled a small chuckle in slight disbelief and amusement. He lightly smiled at her as he shook his head.

"That's not your waters breaking sweetheart, that's just increased discharge, remember Val mentioning it?" Horatio questioned after he took a deep breath and calmed himself right down as he placed both hands on his hips and tilted his head at her. He felt the beat of his heart slow and become lighter while the adrenaline slowly decreased.

"Is it?" Zoë asked as she looked down at herself before looking back up at Horatio who nodded at her. He lightly chuckled again as he pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head again in slight amusement. '_Only Zoë could panic me that much over nothing. What goes through her head?'_ Horatio asked himself as he looked up at her and placed his hand back on his hip with a half-smile.

"You're 15 weeks, Zoë… your waters are far off from breaking." Horatio said softly and she sighed and bit her lip with a nod. '_I guess that was a little extreme…'_ Zoë thought to herself as she pulled a sweeter expression which amused Horatio more.

"I'm really sorry Horatio, I panicked." She said as she kicked the underwear and shorts into the washing bin. He smiled at her again and nodded as he glanced down at the floor.

"Not to worry, just try and remain calm if that happens again, it's perfectly normal." Horatio said softly as he looked back up to Zoë who pressed her lips together and furrowed her brow again.

"But I didn't get it with Maya." She said softly before she pulled her top off and slung it in the washing bin.

"It's a different pregnancy, sweetheart, you've got more hormones rushing around your body than you did with Maya." Horatio said softly and Zoë nodded as she looked down and began to feel guilty for waking him.

"I'm sorry Kitten, I didn't mean to worry you at all. I'm such a dipstick." She said softly as she looked up at him.

"Don't worry Zo." Horatio said softly as he moved closer and placed a kiss on her lips while he placed both hands either side of her head. She pulled back and looked down before looking back up to Horatio with a slightly unpleasant expression.

"That's disgusting though, I'm going to get some tenna-ladies or something from the shop after my shower." She said softly and Horatio stifled a small chuckle. '_Zoë and her hygiene…'_ Horatio thought to himself. "Alexx didn't say anything about it." Zoë said as she tied her hair up and then took her bra off as she looked up at Horatio.

"Maybe Alexx didn't have it with her children." Horatio said softly and she nodded as she opened the shower door.

"Okay, sorry for waking and startling you. Are you okay? Did you fall over?" She asked softly as she turned to Horatio and he nodded with a slightly embarrassed smile.

"I tripped on the duvet as I got up so fast I didn't even have time to push it from me." Horatio said softly before he lightly chuckled as he found it amusing as he thought back to it.

"Oh I'm so sorry handsome, you're not hurt are you?" She asked and Horatio shook his head.

"Call if you need anything, I'll be in the main bathroom." Horatio said softly and she nodded with a smile before she closed the shower door and turned it on.

XX

"Do we have pineapple?" Zoë questioned 5 minutes later as she walked into the main bathroom still dripping wet and completely naked.

"Yes sweetheart." Horatio said softly as he turned to her whilst still in the shower and she nodded and then walked away after thanking him. She quickly walked downstairs after taking his towel and wrapping it around herself. He got out of the shower and realised she'd taken his towel so he went to get another. He quickly dried himself before changing into jogging bottoms and a t-shirt and then walking downstairs to see what Zoë was up to.

"What are you making?" Horatio asked as he strolled into the kitchen to see her wrapped in his towel and making something at the counter.

"Pineapple and cheese sandwiches with BBQ sauce, want one?" She asked as she looked over to Horatio and saw the disgusted look across his face once again. He swallowed and shook his head as his eyes wandered back up to hers after he studied the ill-looking sandwich.

"I think I'll pass, but thank you." Horatio said softly and she nodded sweetly and then picked up the sandwich and took a few bites. Horatio stood there and watched her eat it and remained silent while he continued to watch her.

"Any good?" Horatio asked a few moments later while he winced each time she took a bite. '_That must taste revolting…'_ He thought to himself as he blinked a few times and couldn't help but let his jaw sit open with his lips set apart slightly.

"It's satisfying a craving." She said once she finished her mouthful and he nodded as he looked back down to the sandwich in her hands.

"You really do have some weird cravings." He said as he watched her put the sandwich down and then throw the bread away and then ate the pineapple, cheese and BBQ sauce filling. She looked back up at him with a sweet expression as she shrugged before she looked back down at the sandwich filling.

"I'm disgusted at myself, but I can't help myself at the same time." She said as she looked back up at him. "I think you should eat it as well just so you know what I'm putting myself through, after all, they're the ones making me eat it and they're half you." She said with a cheeky grin as she held a bit out to him. He looked down at it and his look of disgust multiplied. He swallowed and pressed his lips together as he thought about it.

"I guess I should try it if you're craving it…" Horatio said as he took it from her and then studied the cheese topped pineapple chunk drizzled in BBQ sauce. He swallowed and winced again and he hadn't even tried it yet.

"Go on." Zoë urged with a smile as she watched him intensely. He bravely put it in his mouth and then tried to swallow after a few chews. She smiled sweetly as he finished chewing and swallowed it, it was very clear that he didn't enjoy it at all.

"I'm never eating that again." He mumbled as he wiped the side of his mouth with his thumb as he could feel a little BBQ sauce on his lip. She quickly walked over to him and took hold of his hand before she licked the sauce off his thumb with a cheeky smile. He raised his eyebrows at her as she walked back to the plate of pineapple, cheese and BBQ sauce. '_Well, that's one way to get rid of it I suppose.'_ Horatio thought to himself and felt his loins stirring.

"Yeah, it's not exactly nice." Zoë said as she finished what she had made and then had a glass of water. "Well done for trying it though." She smiled sweetly and he nodded, he could feel the taste lingering on his taste buds and got himself a glass of water too. "I'm going to get changed." She said softly and Horatio nodded again. She came downstairs in a pair of plane black leggings and a long loose tank top with a dark green and black pattern on.

"These clothes fit perfectly well, thank you for them Horatio. They should also fit me when I'm massive and then when I'm small again, they're stretchy." She smiled softly as she looked down at herself.

"My best birthday present was definitely seeing you in that new underwear though." Horatio smiled softly as he put the glass in the dishwasher and she giggled as she ran a hand over her stomach.

"My best birthday present was seeing your face when I wore the underwear." She grinned and he chuckled with a bright smile.

"We're quite lucky to have our birthdays in the same week… I want it to be our birthdays again this week." She smiled softly as Horatio walked over to her and smiled down at her as he tucked her hair behind her ears.

"I'm going to the shop, are you coming?" Zoë asked softly as she looked up at him and he nodded as she stepped away.

"I'll wait in the car though." Horatio said softly and she nodded.

XXXXXXXX

Thursday of the next week arrived and Zoë was relaxing on the sofa with her feet up, enjoying a herbal tea while she read a book about babies. "I wonder if you're boys or girls, or one of each." Zoë said softly as she rubbed her stomach when she put the herbal tea down when she could feel her mouth-watering once again as a craving began to sink it's claws into her.

"You are both driving me insane; you really want me to eat more apple and peanut butter?" She asked with a smile as she got up and walked into the kitchen to prepare the snack.

"You know your Daddy doesn't like the things you two make me eat. I bet you're both boys and I bet you're both going to have your Daddy's cheeky streak, that's why you're making me eat these things. I don't even like peanut butter either, I only ever ate it when I was at University when I was drunk. Shh, I didn't say that, Mummy was always a very good girl. Who am I kidding? I was a terror. Neither of you are going to be wild like me, I hope you both have your Daddy's sensible side. I bet he never went out all night at University." She chuckled to herself as she cut up two apples and then smeared peanut butter over the slices and then went to sit down again as she got a call from Kaitlin.

Meanwhile, at work Horatio was working hard on a case, he was in the lab working with some evidence with Eric close by.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"How are you doing H?" Eric asked softly as he glanced over to Horatio.

"I'm good thanks Eric." Horatio said softly but Eric could see that Horatio was tired; he looked like he hadn't had a decent night's sleep in some weeks, they could all see that he was tired. Horatio knew he looked tired and only knew it was going to get worse when they finally had the babies with them, but he didn't mind one bit, he couldn't wait for the sleepless nights ahead of him.

"Are you not getting too much sleep?" Eric asked softly and sympathetically.

"Not as much as I'd like, Zoë's experiencing more nightmares and frequently has to go to the loo, and I'm a light sleeper so I wake every time. But I'm good. We're both just as tired as each other really." Horatio said softly and Eric nodded as he continued to check over the piece of evidence he was looking at.

"That's understandable, if you need a break then I'm happy to do that for you. If you ever need anything H, you can always count on me," Eric said warmly and Horatio looked up at Eric and smiled warmly, he could see that Eric genuinely cared about both he and Zoë. "How is Zoë doing?" Eric asked softly once Horatio had given him an appreciative nod.

"She's doing really well thank you Eric. She gets a little panicky every so often, which I can understand. It's easy to worry about the smallest of things after Maya. Her morning sickness is also a lot better, she still gets a little nauseous every now and then, but is otherwise feeling good in herself. She's got a lot more energy too, so I have to try and keep up with her. The first trimester is usually more difficult than the second, we should start to get a little more sleep now as her need for the loo so often is decreasing again." Horatio smiled softly as he looked down at the evidence he was handling. Eric smiled at him as he stopped what he was doing to study Horatio's genuinely happy expression. Horatio looked back up at Eric with his set blissful smile. "You wouldn't believe the cravings she's getting, I've tried some of the stuff she's eating and it's nearly had me running for the loo." Horatio said softly and Eric chuckled as he looked down and pushed the evidence away a little before looking back up at him.

"She mentioned that you pull a sour-puss face when she eats something she's craving." Eric chuckled as his smile grew. He couldn't help but smile widely as he could see the truly happy expression on Horatio's tired face. He couldn't help but feel happy for Horatio and Zoë, he knew they both deserved happiness.

"You would if you watched her eat pineapple, cheese and BBQ sauce all together, or an apple smothered in peanut butter and those hundreds and thousands sprinkles you get for cakes." Horatio said as he looked up at Eric and raised his eyebrows with his secret smile himself as he tried to hide a very amused smile.

"No kidding?" Eric asked and Horatio nodded as he saw the slightly amused yet slightly disgusted expression on Eric's face.

"I think I caught her eating pickles and ice cream with tomato sauce smothered everywhere the other day, I didn't dare ask though as I knew she'd ask me to try it and that would have sent me running to the bathroom." Horatio said and Eric laughed loudly as he looked at Horatio highly amused. He could just see the expression Horatio would pull if he had to try anything like that and he knew Zoë would talk him around to trying to eat it.

"She didn't get any of this with Maya, did she?" Eric questioned as he furrowed his brow slightly, still amused.

"Not really no, she just craved food in general." Horatio said softly and Eric nodded with a gentle smile. "Don't get me wrong though, she's still craving food in general, you would never think that someone of her size, even with the size of her belly at the moment that she could eat so much." Horatio smiled and Eric chuckled lightly with a smile.

"She's going to get really big isn't she?" Eric asked and Horatio nodded as he pushed his evidence away to give Eric his attention and because he was basically done with it.

"I really think so; she looks as if she's about 20-21 weeks pregnant with a single baby." Horatio said softly.

"If there's anything either of you need or want, please ask; I'm very happy to help out where you want, even if it's to cook something. I know Zoë's not Michelin star quality and she probably doesn't want to be standing on her feet for ages over the cooker, you're tired yourself and probably don't want to do that either." Eric said softly and Horatio chuckled softly.

"Thank you Eric, but you'd be surprised, she's really picked up on the cooking. She's average now, she hasn't burnt one thing, she quite often deviates from the recipe and does her own thing and it turns out even better. She also usually has dinner done by the time I get back. She's a natural at it, just like almost everything else she does but she insists that it's just luck." Horatio said softly and Eric nodded with a light chuckle.

"She told me about the first time cooking pasta and using the oven instead of a saucepan… I didn't think someone of her intelligence would even think that's the way to cook pasta." Eric smiled and Horatio chuckled.

"I thought that, but then she said that she'd never seen anyone cook before; her uncle and/or aunt kept her occupied while their meals were cooked by a chef so she never sat down and watched someone cook. She said she once saw pasta bake being cooked in the oven and that was where she got the idea from." Horatio smiled gently and Eric nodded.

"Ah, I understand now." Eric said softly and Horatio nodded as he looked back down to the evidence that he'd pushed away.

"Do you want to go and get some rest, H?" Eric asked softly when he saw him looking a little more fatigued and heard his voice becoming hoarser and rougher.

"I'm good." Horatio said softly and Eric leant on the table and tilted his head. He'd noticed that Horatio was looking a little pale as well, but wasn't sure if that was just the light.

"Go and get a drink at least, H. If Zoë were here now she'd drag you out of the lab." Eric said and Horatio nodded with a smile and then got himself a bottle of water before getting back to work. Once finished an hour later, Horatio walked down to autopsy. '_I think I should have listened to Zoë when she said stay at home, I'm feeling worse and worse. I must be coming down with something again. What if I give it to Zoë? I could make her really ill.'_ Horatio thought to himself as he leant against a wall when no-one was around. He could feel his hands trembling slightly while his knees and legs felt loose. He ran a hand from his forehead down to his chin and exhaled as he felt a headache take over. He lightly groaned after swallowing and feeling a sharp sting. He sipped his water bottle again and then carried on walking to autopsy to find if Alexx had anything for him. He stopped outside the doors and took a few deep breaths and rubbed his face once more and placed the water bottle in his pocket before he entered.

"Horatio honey, how are you doing?" Alexx asked brightly as he slowly walked over to the table as she leant on it having just cleaned it. She smiled warmly at him as he gave her a small smile before he looked down to the floor and stopped just before the table. Alexx didn't suspect a thing as Horatio looked his usual self; he stood strong and looked elsewhere but her eyes and concentrated on the floor.

"I'm good thanks, I was wondering if you had anything for me?" He asked softly as he glanced up at her for less than a second before he looked over to the side when he thought he heard something fall but realised it was just his ears when he didn't see anything out of place.

"Yeah I do, here's his clothes and I found sand in his hair as well as a few flakes of paint in his shins." Alexx said softly and Horatio looked back up at Alexx with a mild frown. His attention was drawn away from the side of the room to her.

"He was hit by a car?" Horatio asked as his eyes fixated on hers which allowed her to get the first proper look into his tired eyes.

"Yes, he has severe subdermal hematomas to suggest he was too." Alexx said and Horatio nodded as he looked down and thought about it with the evidence bag in his hand. He then lifted the clear bag with the sand in and studied it against the light in the background. His eyes studied the small grained as he pressed his lips together while he thought hard about the case.

"How's Zoë doing?" Alexx asked softly as she tilted her head. Horatio's eyes softened as he looked down from the bag and over to her as he lowered his hand.

"She's doing well thank you Alexx." Horatio said softly and she nodded with a gentle smile.

"How about you? Are you getting enough sleep?" Alexx asked warmly when she saw just how tired and drained he was. He looked back down and avoided her caring eyes as he took a deep breath when he felt a weird sensation in his head developing.

"I'm good thank you Alexx, yes, I'm getting enough sleep." He said softly and she nodded and lowered her head further to try and get a better look at him.

"Okay honey." Alexx said softly as she studied his pale face and saw that he was becoming slightly clammy as he rubbed his hands together slightly while he continued to hold the bag. Horatio brought the bag back down as his hands began to shake when he felt a hot flush envelop his entire body as he felt an unfamiliar sensation of light-headedness hit him hard. "Would you like some water, Horatio?" Alexx asked softly and he nodded as he tried swallowing but the sting in his throat was back. Alexx quickly took the bag of evidence from him and placed it down as he took a deep breath and looked up at the ceiling and looked at the bright lights. '_I really should have listened to Zoë, I think I might be developing a throat infection of some sort.' _He thought to himself as Alexx collected him a plastic cup of water as he stepped away from the table and looked back down as he felt his whole body trembling.

"Thank you," Horatio said as he took it from Alexx's hand with his shaky hand.

"Have you eaten today?" Alexx asked as she placed her hand on his upper arm and he nodded before he took a small sip of the water. "When and what?" Alexx asked as she continued to rub his arm gently as she studied his weak and drained facial expression. It was clear he was in need of a very long lie down and rest.

"Coffee this morning." Horatio said between a few more sips of water. Alexx frowned at him as she took a deep breath and tilted her head.

"Horatio, no wonder why you're shaking. You need to be eating, Zoë needs you at your strongest and you can't be that if you don't eat." Alexx scolded as she placed both hands on her hips and looked at him firmly.

"I never eat in the mornings Alexx." Horatio said as he finished the water and placed the cup down on the side while Alexx continued to look at him firmly.

"Well perhaps the lack of breakfast has caught up with you then, you need to look after yourself now you've got two babies on the way. Get something to eat Horatio." Alexx said firmly and Horatio exhaled as he felt the light-headed sensation multiply. His breathing became deep and rapid as he looked down. Alexx noticed that his lips had even drained of their colour and that he was becoming whiter by the second. "Give me your hand Horatio, please?" Alexx asked as she held her hand out to him when he became clammier and she could see the moisture forming on his pale skin. Horatio handed her his hand and she took his pulse after pulling his sleeve up slightly to expose his wrist. He wiped his brow with his other hand when another hot flush hit him as his ears began to ring. "Sit down honey." Alexx said as she began to grow concerned when she felt his heartbeat was slowing and saw that he was on the verge of passing out.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

"Come on honey." Alexx said softly as she pulled him over to the seats and then sat him down. She pushed his head down between his legs and began to lightly rub his back. "Nice steady deep breaths Horatio, you're okay." Alexx assured him and then listened to his slower breathing. "You've got to look after yourself as well as Zoë, okay? Don't forget about yourself because I know what you're like. You need to go and eat something." Alexx said firmly and Horatio nodded as he sat back up and looked over to her with heavy eyelids. He swallowed and felt the sharp sting again as he sat back and exhaled. '_He's probably just got a lower blood glucose than normal.'_ Alexx thought to herself as she lightly exhaled.

"I think I'm coming down with something Alexx, what if I give it to Zoe?" Horatio asked and she frowned at him a little shocked. '_Horatio's asking me for help and advice? He's admitting to feeling unwell?'_ She thought to herself as she tilted her head.

"What makes you think you're coming down with something?" Alexx asked with her voice softening as she tilted her head and placed her hand on his upper arm again.

"I have a headache as well as a sore throat. I think I've got a temperature… I just generally feel unwell." Horatio said and Alexx nodded and removed her hand from his arm and placed it against his forehead and then mildly frowned again.

"You are quite warm." Alexx said softly and Horatio nodded as he exhaled as he put his head back and looked down to the floor while his body felt depleted of all energy.

"Zoë said I should stay home, I should have listened to her." Horatio said softly with a small tired smile as he looked over to her.

"Open your mouth." She asked as she pulled her pen torch from her pocket. Horatio looked over to her and mildly frowned. "Just open your mouth, Horatio." Alexx said as she raised an eyebrow at him. He then did as she requested and she took a look into his mouth and checked his throat out. "Yeah, you've got a throat infection, I looks like tonsillitis." Alexx said and Horatio closed his mouth again and looked at Alexx tiredly. "Go home Horatio, get some rest and drink plenty." Alexx said softly and he nodded as he sat forwards and then rubbed his face with both hands before he looked back over to Alexx.

"What if I give it to Zoë though?" Horatio asked softly.

"She's more than likely going to get it now anyway, you shouldn't worry. It won't affect the babies, at worse she'll get a sore throat too, but it depends on what's causing the tonsillitis. Has she had her flu jab this year?" Alexx asked and Horatio nodded. "If she gets ill, just take her to the doctors, she will probably require antibiotics where as you will be fine without them, if your symptoms last for more than a week, go and see the doctor. Don't come back until you're fully better, but I suspect Zoë will make sure you're off until you're better anyway." Alexx said softly and Horatio nodded with a small appreciative smile.

"Thank you Alexx." Horatio said softly and she nodded.

"Are you alright to drive home?" Alexx asked softly and Horatio nodded confidently as he sat up straight and took a deep breath. "Okay, give me a call if you need anything. If you need a hand around the house because you're unwell and Zoë's not feeling up to it, give me a ring, okay?" Alexx said softly and Horatio nodded as he stood up.

"Thank you Alexx. You're very welcome to come over for a coffee one evening, Zoë keeps meaning to ring you but then gets caught up in something." Horatio said warmly as she then stood up and gave him a warm smile and nod.

"Give my love to Zoë please." Alexx said softly and Horatio nodded. Horatio began to walk out as Alexx walked back over to her table to finish writing a few things down. "Oh Horatio." She called as she picked up the evidence bag and then looked over to the doors when she heard something hit the floor. She saw Horatio face down on the floor, sprawled out and unconscious.

"Horatio!" Alexx yelled as she dropped the paper and evidence back before she rushed over to him. "Horatio, can you hear me?" Alexx asked loudly as she knelt on the floor beside him and leant over him to take his pulse. She swallowed and looked at his pale clammy face while she felt his weak pulse. "Horatio, open your eyes if you can hear me." Alexx said loudly as she bent down as she placed her hand on his side to move him slightly but she realised that he was a little heavier than she had anticipated. She exhaled when he didn't give her anything to show he was at least a little conscious. She then pulled him into the recovery position and took his pulse again as he let out a small, quiet moan. She pushed his hair back from his forehead and looked down at him with a caring and worried expression. "Horatio, it's Alexx, can you hear me?" Alexx questioned loudly and he let out another small moan while she held him in place.

"Zoë?" He questioned quietly as he exhaled. Alexx ran her hand through his hair and then placed the back of her hand against his forehead again. He opened his eyes half-way and looked at Alexx's knees while she knelt close to him.

"No honey, it's Alexx." Alexx said softly as she rubbed his shoulder just as Eric walked into autopsy. He stopped and froze as he looked down at them. Alexx looked up at him and saw a concerned expression. "Eric, get me a cup of water please." Alexx said as Eric's eyes widened as he looked down at Horatio in the recovery position and weak. Horatio didn't even make an effort to look over to Eric as he felt so weak. "He's okay, he's just a little unwell." Alexx said and Eric nodded and then did as Alexx had asked while Alexx looked back down to Horatio as he closed his eyes again.

"Can you tell me how you're feeling, Horatio?" Alexx asked softly as she lightly shook his shoulder to wake him back up. He just exhaled as he opened his eyes and blinked a few times as he turned his head to squint up at Alexx. "You're okay Horatio." Alexx said as he lifted his head and looked up at her more.

"Where's Zoë? Is she okay?" Horatio questioned dryly as Eric walked back with the cup of water and crouched beside Alexx while he worried about his boss and friend.

"Zoë's fine, she's at home. You're at work Horatio and you've just passed out." Alexx said softly and he groaned as he moved to sit up as he pushed himself up from the floor. "Go slowly Horatio." Alexx said as Horatio sat up on the floor and looked over to Eric as he handed Horatio the water.

"Thank you." Horatio said quietly. Alexx lightly rubbed his back as she looked over to Eric.

"Are you busy Eric?" Alexx asked and Eric nodded.

"We're all swamped, I'll call Zoë though. Are you okay here with him?" He said softly and Alexx nodded as she took the half-full cup from Horatio's hand before he rubbed his face with both hands as Eric got up and walked out to ring Zoë.

"Try and drink up Horatio. Zoë's going to come and pick you up, okay?" Alexx said as she rubbed his upper back slowly and handed him the cup back again.

"She needs to rest, I can get myself home." Horatio murmured as he looked round to Alexx before he took a sip.

"No you're not Horatio. Zoë will pick you up, no arguments." Alexx said firmly and he exhaled and then finished the cup of water. "Zoë will be fine, she'll probably be happy to get out of the house." Alexx said and Horatio exhaled again as he looked down to the floor. "Come on, let's sit you down outside and get this thick jacket off you." Alexx said as she took his arm and then helped him up slowly. She placed the cup he had on the side and then sat him on the seats outside of the autopsy room after he'd taken his jacket off. "How long have you been feeling unwell for?" Alexx asked softly as she sat next to him while he sat back and put his head back against the wall.

"The sore throat developed this morning, but I wasn't feeling this bad until an hour ago." Horatio said softly and Alexx nodded with a warm expression.

"Why can't you ever get a simple cold? You always get the nasty stuff." Alexx said and Horatio stifled a chuckle and tiredly nodded with heavy eyelids.

"Zoë says that every time I'm unwell." Horatio said quietly as he looked over to her.

"She's right too. You need plenty of water and take some paracetamol or aspirin; it'll bring the fever down and help with the sore throat, try and eat soft things. Zoë will know all of that anyway, she'll take good care of you." Alexx said softly and Horatio nodded as he took a deep breath and looked back down to the floor. "I have to say, I'm slightly shocked that you passed out, I've only ever seen you pass out once and that was in that hospital bed after your crash. You probably passed out due to exhaustion and the infection, you'd have been fine if you were sleeping well and actually eating." Alexx said softly but raised an eyebrow at him as he glanced over to him and he knew she was going all 'mother Alexx' on him. He gave her a small smile before he looked back down.

"I don't know how Zoë's managed to pass out and then insist she was fine, I feel like death warmed up." Horatio said softly and Alexx nodded as she placed her hand on Horatio's upper arm.

"Well, our baby girl has been through the mill, she knows what to expect when passing out and she's passed out so much that I guess she's used to it now." Alexx said softly as she lightly rubbed his arm and he nodded as he looked back up at her.

"How someone can get used to that is beyond me." Horatio murmured as Alexx tilted her head.

"Zoë isn't just anyone though, she's extra special." Alexx smiled and then saw a smile appear across Horatio's face, Alexx knew he agreed. They both looked down the hall when they could hear Zoë's voice. Horatio already felt better when he heard her voice but he also knew he was probably going to get an earful from her. He swallowed and looked down the corridor, he couldn't help but feel like he was waiting for a detention when back at school. She turned the corner onto the corridor they were sat on with a bright smile as she strolled along with Eric by her side. She smiled at Horatio as they approached Horatio and Alexx closer which made Horatio feel immediately better when he saw her radiant smile.

"Hey handsome, how are you feeling? Eric said you're feeling pretty rough." She said as she walked over to him as she tilted her head and lightly furrowed her eyebrows. Horatio and Alexx both looked up at Zoë, Alexx's smile matched Zoë's, it was equally as radiant while Horatio's was somewhat exhausted, but it was definitely the brightest smile he'd given that day.

"I'm good." Horatio said softly as she sat down next to him and placed her hand on his leg. She looked into his tired eyes and knew he was feeling rough.

"You don't look too good Horatio, what happened?" Zoë asked softly as she glanced from Horatio to Alexx as she knew she'd have more chance of Alexx telling her what was wrong.

"I'm just feeling a little under the weather." Horatio said softly as he sat forwards and placed a hand over hers.

"You never feel a little under the weather; you only get the nasty things. What is it this time? The plague?" She said softly and he couldn't help but smile at her. Eric remained silent but a smile appeared on his face as he could see that Zoë was already making Horatio feel better.

"It looks like Horatio's got a throat infection, tonsillitis by the looks of it and he's just passed out." Alexx said softly and Zoë nodded as she placed the back of her hand against Horatio's forehead and pressed her lips together when she felt that he was quite warm. She looked at him sympathetically as she removed her hand from his forehead and placed it on his shoulder.

"Who have you been snogging then?" Zoë questioned with a gentle smile and another bright yet tired smile appeared on Horatio's face while he lightly chuckled. "Okay thank you Alexx, should I take him to the doctors?" She asked sweetly as she placed her other hand on her belly and lightly rubbed as she looked at Alexx sweetly. '_She's certainly bigger, but she's hiding it well actually. If I didn't know her I wouldn't have thought she was pregnant, or 15 weeks with twins anyway.'_ Alexx thought to herself as the black shirt and trousers seemed to slim Zoë right down.

"I don't think it's necessary at the moment, but certainly if he's still unwell next week. It should clear up in a couple of days. But if you get it, I advise you go to the doctors." Alexx said softly and Zoë nodded as she looked back to Horatio with a reassuring smile and then ran her hand through his already messy hair.

"It won't cause harm to the babies, will it?" Zoë asked softly as she looked back to Alexx.

"No, there's a very low chance of that. I only say go and see doctor because it could be a virus causing the infection in Horatio, and it could be the flu virus, that can be pretty nasty in people with asthma and it'll put more strain on your heart, so you'll probably need to be treated with antibiotics. All of that combined with pregnancy, it's just better to see the doctor as it's better to be safer than sorry." Alexx said softly and Zoë nodded with a gentle smile.

"I told you so, you should have stayed at home." Zoë said softly with a gentle smile. Horatio looked back to her and then nodded with a self-sympathetic smile. "Come on, let's get home." She said as she stood and then held her hand out to him with a bright smile.

"I'll drive sweetheart." Horatio said as he took her hand and stood. Once he was stood she raised her eyebrows and looked up at him with a surprised and disagreeing look.

"I don't think so; you've just passed out, you look like death and you're hands are shaking. I am not having you drive us." Zoë said firmly and he nodded as he looked down and exhaled. She reached up and smoothed his hair down a little while she gave him a sympathetic look, she felt bad for Horatio as she didn't want to see him unwell. "Come on, I'm hungry, I'll have to eat you if I don't get home soon." She smiled as she linked arms with Horatio as a smile appeared across his face again as he looked down. Alexx stood and then walked along the corridor slowly beside Zoë while Zoë had a hold of Horatio's arm to try and give him a bit of support.

"How's it all going, Zoë?" Alexx asked softly as she looked to Zoe.

"Well thank you Alexx, I'm eating like I've never eaten before, it's so bizarre; my appetite has shot through the roof, I've never eaten so much in my life." Zoë smiled and Alexx nodded with a smile.

"That's a good thing." Alexx smiled as she placed her hand on Zoë's back as Eric walked behind them to allow Zoë and Alexx to catch up, he knew that at some point they'd be catching up quickly. "What about cravings? Have you got any?" Alexx asked softly and curiously.

"You don't even want to go there;' I have disgusting cravings. I've even had Horatio try what I'm eating and he's nearly thrown up each time. I'm surprised he's not been complaining about what a nightmare it is to be around me when I crave something. Or just how much of a nightmare I am in general." She smiled and Alexx chuckled as she looked from Zoë to Horatio. She looked back to Zoë with a dazzling smile.

"My worst craving with Brian was that I wanted to eat raw onions, but I couldn't bring myself to do that so I had to settle for pickled onion crisps." Alexx smiled warmly and then saw Zoë's eyes light up when she mentioned crisps.

"I could do with a packet of pickled onion crisps right now." Zoë said as she thought about food again. Alexx lightly chuckled as she glanced to the floor for a moment before she looked back up at Zoë.

"How are you sleeping?" Alexx asked softly.

"Okay, I'm sleeping better than I was since this week as I don't need to go to the loo every 10 minutes, it's more like every hour now, so I can get some sleep. Horatio's also thankful for that as I he wakes every time I get up because he's such a light sleeper, I try not to disturb him, but somehow I manage to. But I also keep having really vivid dreams and weird things like giving birth to Horatio." Zoë said as she looked at Alexx and Alexx chuckled with a nod.

"You'll have dreams like that; I did with both of my boys, that's quite common in pregnancy." Alexx smiled and Zoë nodded as they walked through the lab. "Is there anything you want to ask while you're here? Or do you want me to come over again?" Alexx asked softly.

"Yeah, Horatio says that it's normal to have an increased amount of vaginal discharge, is that right? I mean, I woke up the other morning and I thought my waters had broken. I had to go and get some tenna-ladies. Horatio said it was normal but I didn't find it very pleasant." Zoë said softly and sweetly and Alexx smiled at her with a nod. She still marvelled at how open Zoë was with her when most women wouldn't have mentioned it at all.

"The one time I see you in weeks and you're talking about bodily fluids." Walter said as he walked past them and stopped as he furrowed his eyebrows and gave her a small amused yet nearly disgusted facial expression.

"Sorry Walter, I was just asking Alexx a question. I didn't mean for you to hear that." Zoë said softly and he nodded with a gentle smile.

"How are you doing?" Walter asked and Zoë nodded with a gentle smile as she lightly rubbed Horatio's forearm that he had linked with her other arm.

"I'm good thank you Walter, it's this one here that needs a little TLC at the moment." She said softly and Walter nodded with a smile.

"Hope you feel better H." Walter said softly and Horatio nodded with a small smile but it was clear that he didn't want to be in the middle of the lab, looking and feeling so unwell. "I'll catch you later." Walter said softly before he walked off.

"Yeah, I've got to get on with work, if you guys need anything later, call me." Eric said softly and they nodded at him with tender smiles as Zoë pulled her arm from Horatio's.

"See you later sweetie, take care and thank you." Zoë said as she turned and then gently hugged him. She linked arms with Horatio again as Eric walked off after Horatio gave him a tired nod.

"Anyway, yes that's fine honey. As long as it's not showing signs of infection, like it's a different colour or anything then that is absolutely fine. It's nothing to worry about." Alexx said softly and Zoë nodded with a smile.

"Thank you Alexx, that's the worry of the week sorted." Zoë smiled and Alexx nodded with an amused smile as she pushed the elevator button.

"Worry of the week, you do make me laugh." Alexx smiled softly with a light chuckle.

"I never had any of this with Maya, so it's worrying because I don't think it's normal." Zoë said softly and Alexx nodded as she rubbed Zoë's upper arm.

"I understand baby girl, but you and Horatio are both doing a fantastic job, have a relaxing afternoon, call if you need to." Alexx said softly and Zoë nodded warmly.

"Thank you Alexx." Zoë said as she quickly hugged her and then boarded the lift with Horatio and linked arms with him again.

"Thanks Alexx." Horatio said softly and Alexx gave them both a nod before the doors closed. They walked over to the car slowly and got in. Zoë pulled off once they had their seatbelts and glanced over to Horatio as he ran another hand over his face before he rubbed his eyes.

"Oh Kitten, you're going straight to bed when we get home and I think I'm going to join you." She smiled softly as she rubbed his thigh slowly to give him comfort which caused him to look over to her.

"I don't want to give this to you, Zoë." Horatio said softly as he placed his hand over hers on his thigh. She could tell that he was worried.

"I want snuggles with my husband, I don't care if you're ill. It's not going to do us any harm either and I think you need and want snuggles with us too." She said softly as she glanced over to him to see a smile appearing across his face. "See you do handsome." Zoë smiled softly with a light giggle as she began to lightly rub his thigh again as he released her hand and picked up his jacket to pull the bottle of water from his pocket to have a few sips. "You did eat this morning, didn't you?" Zoë asked and he shook his head as she glanced to him again. She exhaled and shook her head as she looked back to the road.

"That's why you passed out… you need to eat especially when you're unwell, Horatio." Zoë said softly and he exhaled. "I know you want me to shut up, but you have to look after yourself Horatio. I thought you had eaten something so that's why I didn't make you eat anything when I came downstairs this morning." She said softly and he gave her a shy smile when she glanced to him again briefly. "You are naughty." She said as she raised an eyebrow while she continued to concentrate on the road.

"I need to be punished for being naughty then." Horatio murmured quietly as he looked down to his lap with a small boyish grin.

"That you do, when you're feeling better I'm giving you a good seeing to." She grinned and he looked round to her with a surprised expression. She glanced to him with a natural smile and nodded before she looked back to the road and then changed gear when they joined a smaller road from the main road.

"Yep, I can feel my sex drive increasing again, so you're going to be getting so much sex, we'll make up for the last trimester during my second trimester. If you weren't unwell right now I'd pull over and have you on the back seat." She smiled sweetly and Horatio chuckled.

"I love how you can say things like that with a straight face." Horatio said softly and she chuckled lightly.

Once home, Zoë helped get Horatio in and then upstairs.

"What do you want to eat?" She asked softly as they walked over to the bed. It was clear that Horatio was feeling quite bad again.

"Anything sweetheart, just not something that will make me sick, please. No apple and peanut butter, thank you." Horatio said softly as he sat on the bed. She smiled cheekily at him and then took his jacket from his arm and placed it on a hanger to be taken to the dry cleaners.

"I made some pasta earlier, I can put it in some tomato and basil sauce?" She asked warmly as she walked back over to him and ran a hand through his hair while she stood in front of him. He placed both hands on her stomach and looked up at her. She could see that he looked exhausted, pale and clammy and felt really bad for him.

"Thank you sweetheart, only a little though." Horatio said softly and she nodded with a gentle smile.

"Get yourself changed and be careful, I can't lift you up or anything at the moment so I don't want you passing out on me, I'll have to call Eric round and he can lift you up." She said softly and he nodded with a light chuckle. '_I'm definitely taking it easy in that case.'_ Horatio thought to himself.

"I'll be right back." She said as she turned and walked downstairs as she rubbed her lower back. She made herself and Horatio a bowl of pasta each and then took both bowls up stairs and then got two glasses of water. "Take these too, they're aspirin." She said as she handed him two tablets and then sat on her side of the bed and moved the pillows so she was comfortable sitting against the headboard. She flicked the TV on and glanced over to him in his boxers and light t-shirt, she could feel her desire rising from the deep but knew she had to keep her libido under control. She looked over to him when she heard the clink of the metal fork on the ceramic bowl as he placed the bowl on the side. He picked up his water and took a few sips. "Feeling a little better and less weak?" Zoë asked softly and Horatio nodded as he placed the water back down on the side. "Okay handsome, get some rest." Zoë said as she got up and picked his bowl up.

"Don't do that sweetheart; I'll do it a little later." Horatio said softly as he sat forwards and placed his hand on her forearm to try and stop her from taking them down. She tilted her head and looked at him tentatively.

"Just get some rest Kitten, I'm good." She smiled warmly and he nodded tiredly and then slunk down into the bed and fell asleep before Zoë could even come back upstairs. She smiled when she saw him out of it as she got back into bed and began to read her book as she rubbed her stomach lightly. She got herself a few snacks every now and then and checked on Horatio constantly and even napped herself. Horatio finally woke around 7.30PM and rolled onto his side to face Zoë as she sat in bed on the iPad. She looked over to him and then placed her hand on his forehead and could feel that he seemed cooler.

"Hey, how are you feeling?" Zoë asked softly as she ran her fingers from his forehead to his cheek.

"A lot better than earlier, thank you." He smiled softly, he didn't look half as tired, but it was clear that he still felt a little rough.

"That's great, how's your throat?" She asked softly as she looked back to the iPad for a second and paused the game she was playing.

"It's not as bad, but it still feels like I've swallowed razors." Horatio said softly and she nodded.

"Have some more painkillers." She said softly and he nodded before she reached over to the side to pick up the thermometer and placed it in his ear to get a reading. "Your temperature has come down, you're in the normal ranges now." Zoë said softly and Horatio gave her a small smile.

"How are you feeling beautiful?" Horatio asked softly as he reached over and placed his hand over her belly and lightly began to rub.

"I'm good, I was getting a little bored so now I'm playing chess against Joe." She said softly as she glanced back to the iPad before she looked back to him.

"Managed to win?" Horatio asked softly as he pulled her top up and ran his hand over the smooth skin on her belly. She smiled sweetly when she felt him do this and ran her hand through his hair.

"Once, but he let me win that one, so I had to challenge him again as I hate sympathy wins." She said softly and Horatio smiled warmly.

"Have you eaten?" Horatio asked and she nodded as she gestured to the full bin by the wall that was now full of wrappers.

"I've been snacking again… I also ate that entire Battenberg cake thing that was in the cupboard, so I'm really sorry." She said softly with a sweet smile as she raised her eyebrows.

"I didn't expect to see any of that anyway." Horatio smiled softly as he sat up and she giggled.

"You can't buy cake and expect it to last past a day when you live with a fatty like me." She smiled and he chuckled softly.

"You're not fat; you're just full of babies." Horatio smiled and she laughed as she smiled brightly at him.

"What do you want for dinner handsome?" She asked softly as she placed the iPad on the side.

"I'll make dinner sweetheart, you've already had to pick me up from work." Horatio said softly as he sat up and placed his hand on her thigh once he removed it from her belly.

"No, Horatio, I'm doing dinner." She asked softly and he sighed.

"You need to rest sweetheart." Horatio said softly as he tilted his head at her.

"You need more rest than me at the moment Horatio. I'm full of energy right now, I'm really good. I'm just pregnant, I've not becoming someone who can't do anything for themselves. I'm not going to shatter into a million pieces if I pick up the kettle, or melt into a puddle if I do some housework. I'm certainly not going to break in half if I make dinner. You've got to let me do stuff too, even when you're well. That's why you're probably so unwell now because you don't' let me do anything." She smiled sweetly and he then gave into her with a nod and a sigh. "Sausages and rice? Something easy?" She asked and Horatio nodded with an easy smile.

"I'll be down in a moment." He replied softly as he picked up the glass of water again to take a few sips.

"Okay, take your time handsome, don't rush." She said as she got up out of bed and walked out to start with dinner while Horatio changed into jogging bottoms and a t-shirt. He walked down to see her putting the sausages into the frying pan. She glanced over to him as he slowly walked over to her.

"When did you start to feel unwell?" Zoë asked casually as he walked up behind her and placed his hands on her stomach and looked over her shoulder at the sausages.

"Yesterday," Horatio said softly and Zoë nodded as he once again pulled her top up to run both hands over her belly.

"Ah good, hopefully I won't catch anything then because I fell asleep before I could give you a goodnight kiss." She said softly and Horatio nodded.

"Yeah, if you start to feel unwell though, tell me and we'll go straight to see a doctor." Horatio said softly and she nodded and then felt him place his nose and mouth against the back of her head.

"Could you put the rice on please? The water is boiling." She said softly as she moved the sausages around and he nodded against the back of her head as he rubbed her stomach once more. He pulled her top down before he walked away and picked up the packet of rice and poured it into the boiling water. "I can't wait for week 18, we get to find out the sexes! Well, hopefully anyway." Zoë said softly and Horatio nodded as he picked up a wooden spoon and gave the rice a quick stir. He then had a drink and took some more painkillers. "I know your throat is really hurting because you're barely talking, I wish I could make you better." She said softly as she turned to him and he gave her a sweet smile. "Does it hurt when you talk?" Zoë asked tenderly.

"It doesn't hurt as such when talking, but talking leads to more swallowing and more swallowing leads to more pain." Horatio said softly and she nodded.

"I've not had tonsillitis in years, I used to get it quite a lot as a young teenager and child though, I'd often be bed ridden for a week and even hospitalised once because my tonsils swelled so much that I was struggling to breathe. They didn't take them out though as they were healthy tonsils when they weren't infected. I wished they'd just taken them out though, it would have saved a load of pain and stopped me from missing so much school." Zoë said softly as she thought back and remembered both David and Jen looking after her. "I'll have to punish you more if I get it by the way." She smiled sweetly as she looked at him and he chuckled.

"I don't think I'll mind the punishment." Horatio smiled softly and she chuckled as she raised her eyebrows and turned to him. She placed her hands on her hips and tilted her head at him.

"How do you know what I have in mind? I could be thinking of something completely different." She smiled mischievously.

"I can see that look in your eyes, Zoë." Horatio said with a grin and she giggled as she looked down briefly.

"The look of love?" She grinned as she looked back around to him and bit her lip.

"No, the look that I get when you want to push me to the floor and rip my clothes off." He said softly and she laughed softly.

"Same thing, isn't it?" She asked and he chuckled softly before he had a sip of his water.

"Stand back from the oven sweetheart." Horatio said softly and she glanced back to him and then looked down at herself and realised that her belly was too close to the oven.

"It's hard getting used to having a bigger belly again. It gets in the way." She said softly.

"Now you know how I feel." He said softly with a boyish smile and she turned back to him as she raised an eyebrow and placed a hand on her hip.

"You don't have a big belly handsome." She smiled softly while she tilted her head.

"Well, I'm not exactly a model." Horatio said softly as he looked down at the glass of water in his hands.

"You may not be a model to others or in your own mind, but to me you are. It's the same with me; I'm not a model to others or myself but I know you love my body and that's all that matters. Not everything is about looks anyway handsome, you know that." She said softly and he nodded with a gentle smile. Dinner finally cooked and Zoë ate just as much as Horatio, even a little more with some fruit she had after.

"Come on, relax, bath and bed." She said softly and he nodded as he joined her on the sofa with a glass of water. They watched a film when Horatio noticed that Zoë's breathing was a little different. He sat there for a couple of minutes observing the way she was breathing.

"Are you okay sweetheart?" He asked softly and she looked round to him with a sweet expression.

"Yeah." She said happily and then lowered her eyebrows at him when she saw the puzzled look on his face. '_She's breathing deeply but seems and sounds absolutely fine, is it just something else to do with pregnancy or is it her asthma and she's being stubborn about it?'_ Horatio thought to himself.

"Are you getting a tight chest?" Horatio asked softly and she shook her head.

"No, why?" she asked softly as she tilted her head.

"You're breathing deeply." Horatio said softly as he gave her a sweet expression and tilted his head himself.

"Am I? Sorry, I'm fine." She smiled softly and he nodded when he noticed her consciously change her breathing to taking in a normal volume of air.

"Okay sweetheart, as long as you're okay." He said softly and she smiled at him and then looked back to the TV. '_If it carries on, I'll bring it up with Val, I'll keep an eye on it for the moment.'_ Horatio thought to himself. They weren't late to bed that evening.

XXXXXXXXXX

The next week, Horatio had recovered and Zoë didn't get ill at all. They were lying on the sofa together with Zoë between Horatio's legs as she laid back on him as he rubbed her bare stomach as he'd pulled up her top.

"I'm 17 weeks and looking like I am 22 weeks instead. I can imagine myself looking like a bulldozer thing by the time I'm due." Zoë said softly with a small chuckle as she looked down to her belly as Horatio lightly ran his hands over it. "I've never been so fat or heavy in my life, I hate it when I weigh myself." She said softly.

"It's necessary sweetheart, I know you're struggling with the weight gain, but that's normal and its good. I know you want to control it, but you can't, the more weight you put on the better it is, look at it like that." Horatio said softly and Zoë chuckled as she placed both of her hands over his on her belly.

"I think we should make love after I weigh myself each week, that way I'll be more encouraged to pile on the pounds." She smiled and Horatio nodded with a bright chuckle before he kissed the top of her head.

"I'm not going to complain." Horatio smiled up at the TV and then listened to her light giggle.

"I'll be right back handsome; I've got to go to the loo." She said as she sat up and then stood as she looked up at the TV. "Ouch! Ow, ow!" She yelped as she placed her hand over the right side of her stomach. Horatio quickly sat up with wide eyes. "Ouch, Horatio!" She yelped and he stood up and placed his hand over hers as he began to really worry. He looked up at her with a panicked expression.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

"What's wrong?" Horatio asked as she took a fistful of his shirt and then sat back down again with his help. She gritted her teeth and rubbed her lower right abdomen and looked back up at Horatio.

"I think it was that ligament thing Val was talking about. Fuck that hurt." She said as she laid down on her left side and rubbed her stomach more. Horatio sat on the edge of the sofa and placed his hand on her side as his panicked expression slowly disappeared as he realised it wasn't an urgent matter or anything to panic about.

"Round ligament pain?" he asked and Zoë nodded as she looked up at him and took his hand. She placed her hand over his and then guided him to rub her belly where she needed it as she knew it would feel better if Horatio rubbed it. "You're bigger now beautiful, try and go slower and it should help." Horatio said softly as he continued to lightly rub her abdomen while she took a few deep breaths and got over the pain. "Is that a little better?" He asked softly and she nodded with a small smile appearing.

"Thank you handsome." She said softly and he gave her a nod and then stood up once he'd stopped rubbing her belly. He helped her to slowly sit and then helped her to stand slowly as she took a deep breath; the last thing she wanted was to experience that again. "I'm good, thank you Horatio. Sorry for worrying you again." She said softly and he gave her a smile and nod as he moved closer and then lightly ran his hand down her spine.

"I'll be back in a moment." She said softly and Horatio sat back down with a tender smile as he watched Zoë slowly walk out.

"Take it slowly." Horatio said softly and Zoë nodded as she glanced back over to him. She came back with an apple and then sat down slowly.

"I want a shower, can you join me?" She asked after she finished her apple and looked over to him with bright eyes.

"Is that an innocent question, or does it mean something that's not so innocent?" Horatio asked softly and then boyishly smiled when he watched her bite her lip.

"Not so innocent." She grinned up at him and he nodded with a keen smile. "You would have said yes whether it was innocent or not, why did you ask?" Zoë asked softly as she slowly got back up and looked to him.

"I needed to know whether I had to prepare myself mentally for your increasingly dirty language." Horatio said softly and then watched her laugh loudly while she smiled radiantly at him while he stood and walked out beside her.

"Horatio! I do not use dirty language." She said as she playfully slapped his ass.

"I think the sentence 'close that mouth, be quiet and put it to good use or just hurry up and fuck me' is classed as dirty language, don't you? That's probably the tamest sentence that has come out of your mouth as well…" Horatio asked softly with a boyish smile. She looked down and bit her lip while she let out a small shy giggle.

"You were moving too slowly, that was your fault and you got me pregnant which is the cause of these hormones to rush through my body. I was shocked at myself when I shouted that." She grinned shyly as she walked up the stairs in front of him.

"You were shocked? I think I was more shocked than you…" Horatio asked with a chuckle as his eyes connected with her ass and didn't leave it.

"You liked it though." She grinned and he remained silent as he exhaled a small, quiet chuckle as he did agree with her.

"Excuse me; I got you pregnant? I think it was a shared effort between the both of us actually." Horatio said softly with a boyish grin and she turned as she got to the top of the stairs and pulled him closer. She backed herself up to the wall and pulled him along with her.

"Tell me that there could be two little boys in me, two little Horatio's." She asked before she bit her lip and looked up and into his sparkling blue eyes.

"There could be two mini Horatio's in your tummy right now." Horatio said softly as he placed his hands on her waist.

"How did they get there?" Zoë asked as she wrapped her arms around his neck and put her nose to his and felt him pressing his aching length against her lower abdomen which drove her desire more. She could feel that he was so hard already and just wanted him to have her there.

"We made love on the 5th of January, our first time trying for a baby and we conceived straight away. They've been growing in your tummy for 17 weeks. You screamed 3 times as you pulled my hair and held it tighter each time I moved into you." Horatio said as his lips moved against hers. She practically convulsed under his touch and lips as she felt her muscles deep within tighten considerably. He was also getting turned on, but he knew it was to do with the memories of that night.

"Forget the shower, we're going to bed now to make love in the exact spot we conceived these two." Zoë said as she took his hand and pulled him through to the bedroom.

XXXXXXXX

The next Wednesday morning, Horatio woke when he heard Zoë moan. He opened his eyes and looked over to her to see her eating a large bar of chocolate while she played a game on her phone. He lowered his eyebrows and then looked over to the clock as he squinted.

"Zoë, it's 4.30AM, why are you eating chocolate and playing games?" Horatio asked tiredly as he reached over and draped his arm over her thighs while she sat up against the headboard.

"I couldn't sleep." She said as she looked over to him sweetly before she ate another square of chocolate.

"Dreams again?" He asked and she nodded as she swallowed the chocolate.

"They got a little too violent so I don't want to sleep just yet and when I woke, I really wanted chocolate." Zoë said softly and Horatio nodded as he sat up himself and woke himself up more. He tilted his head and saw the bright smile on her face as she continued on with her game. He smiled secretly and looked down to her phone briefly before looking back up at her.

"You're also too excited to sleep, aren't you?" Horatio asked and she nodded as she looked up at him with a bright smile.

"We might be able to find out if we're having boys or girls or the both of them!" Zoë grinned and Horatio smiled back and nodded. "Do you want some?" Zoë asked as she held out the chocolate bar. He lightly shook his head and pushed her hand away gently.

"No thank you sweetheart." Horatio said softly and she nodded as she took another bite and then placed the bar on the side to use both hands on the phone. "Try and get some sleep sweetheart." Horatio said softly as he laid back down himself and looked up at her.

"I don't want to." She said as she carried on playing the game with a hardening facial expression. He knew then that she actually was avoiding sleep and closing herself off to him.

"What was your nightmare about, Zoë?" Horatio asked softly but she didn't answer, she just shrugged and he knew she didn't want to tell him. He sighed softly and reached over to place his hand on her thigh as he looked up at her with caring blue eyes. "Was it about Wolfe?" Horatio asked tenderly and she shook her head and pressed her lips together for a moment.

"No, nothing to do with him." She said as she put the phone down and slowly got up to walk into the en-suite to brush her teeth. Horatio watched her walk back out and over to his side as she held her stomach. She sat on the edge of the bed and looked at him warmly as she raised her eyebrows sweetly. She then slowly bent down and kissed him tenderly, but he felt the need in her kiss which drove his concern more. He scooted over as he knew she wanted to get into his side and lifted the duvet for her to climb in with him. She got herself comfortable and laid on her side facing him.

"I know it was a bad nightmare sweetheart, if you talk about it, it may make you feel better." Horatio said softly as she took a deep breath as she nuzzled his pillow.

"You don't want to hear it, Horatio, believe me." She said softly as he began to lightly rub her back after he moved closer to her.

"Talk to me please, Zoë." Horatio said softly and she sighed as she closed her eyes to compose herself.

"I dreamt that Ratner came back and that Walter Resden guy was with him." Zoë said as she exhaled and began to rub her stomach as she looked into his eyes with fear evident in hers. "I dreamt that they tried to take our babies again and when they couldn't they did stuff to the both of us, mainly you." She said as she began to cry. She rolled onto her back and covered her teary eyes with her forearm as she raised her other hand to her mouth while she shook her head.

"Oh sweetheart, you've got nothing to worry about, they won't touch you, Ratner is dead." Horatio said softly as he moved closer and began to lightly rub her belly as he nuzzled her shoulder.

"Resden isn't though." She cried more and Horatio realised that it probably would have been better not to press the matter. He exhaled lightly and felt awful for making her cry, but her admission of the dream had woken Horatio's harbouring fears too. She removed her hands and arms from her face and looked over to him when he didn't reply straight off. She swallowed and looked at him with a deeply upset expression while tears continued to fall. All she needed was for Horatio to reassure her.

"He's not going to touch you, Zoë. I promise you." Horatio said as he moved closer and nuzzled her nose as he kept his eyes open to keep eye contact with her while he furrowed his brow.

"I'm 19 weeks next week, Horatio. It could all happen again." She cried as she pulled away from him and tried to dry her falling tears as she sat up and looked down at the duvet over them.

"It won't happen again Zoë, Resden will not touch you ever again, he will not come anywhere near our babies. I promise you that nothing will happen, I've already booked next week off anyway, I am not leaving your side for a second next week. It's going to be a difficult week for the both of us, but we'll get through it together and will have two healthy babies in about 22 weeks, probably less. I know it's difficult, that fear is always with me too, but we can't live in the past. Nothing will happen to our babies. I will protect all of you forever." Horatio said softly.

"I don't want to sleep Horatio, I don't want to see that ever again." Zoë cried as she laid back down and wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer. She turned her head towards the pillow and continued to cry while he lightly rubbed her back and placed delicate kisses on the corner of her lips and on her cheek.

"I'm right here Zoë, I'm not going to let anything happen to you. You're safe, you're safe in your dreams too." Horatio whispered warmly as he nuzzled her cheek lightly.

"But it doesn't feel like I'm safe! They took your arms… you tried to fight them off and you succeeded, but you couldn't hold our babies. Why would my imagination do that to me, Horatio?" She cried more as she held him tighter.

"You're in my arms… you will _always_ be protected in your dream world and in the real world when you're in my arms. You're safe Zoe." Horatio said softly as one hand played with her hair as the other rubbed her back as he put his leg between her knees to make her more comfortable as he knew she liked something between her knees. "You're safe, we'll have our babies with us in about 22 weeks, I love you, I love all 4 of you, including our angel Maya. She'll always protect you. You're safe, don't worry." Horatio said softly and kept repeating himself as he felt her relaxing in his arms. He lightly nuzzled her when she fell asleep and began to relax himself. He watched her for a little while and then dozed himself. They woke when their alarm sounded at 9AM. Zoë reached over and stopped the alarm from bleeping at them and then rubbed her eyes before she opened them and looked at Horatio who was wrapped around her still.

"How did you sleep, beautiful?" Horatio asked softly with his nose touching hers, he had a tired but happy smile plastered on is lips as he could see that she felt a lot better.

"Like a baby." She smiled softly and Horatio nodded as he nuzzled her nose lovingly.

"See, you're safe and protected in my arms." Horatio said softly as he began to rub her back once again.

"Thank you Horatio." She said softly and then gave him a light kiss. "How did you sleep after my morning antics?" She asked softly and he smiled softly.

"Once you were asleep, I fell asleep too." He smiled softly and she nodded with a smile as she bit her lip lightly.

"Anyway, we need to get up, I need a shower and I am starving so I need to stuff my face before we see Val at 10.20AM." She smiled and Horatio nodded with a smile. He kissed her once and then released her before she sat up and smiled down at him as she planted her hand flat on his chest. "I'd like some company in the shower too, thank you." She smiled before she then got up slowly. A wide boyish smile appeared across Horatio's face and felt his desire firing up.

"Ouch!" She yelped again and then sat back down and held her lower right stomach and took a few deep breaths while she gritted her teeth. "I got up slowly… surely it's not those round ligament pains?" She asked as Horatio sat up and shuffled to the edge of the bed where he replaced her hand with his and began to rub her stomach for her.

"You virtually got straight up though sweetheart, sit up in bed for a few minutes before getting out completely?" Horatio asked and she nodded as she pressed her lips together and took a deep breath through her nose.

"Okay handsome." She said as she nodded and placed her hand over his. "These will get worse as I get bigger, won't they?" Zoë asked Horatio as she looked up at him with a slightly worried expression.

"I think so, we'll ask Val though." Horatio said softly and Zoë nodded. She slowly got back up and then walked into the en-suite with Horatio following close behind.

"You're either worrying about me or you're super eager for sex." She grinned up at him as she turned to him and pushed her shorts and underwear off. Horatio chuckled a little before he looked at her tentatively and also took his night pants off.

"I'm worrying slightly; I don't like it when you're in pain." Horatio said softly and she nodded in understanding and gave him a gentle smile as she took her top and bra off.

"You're really going to hate it when I'm giving birth then." She smiled softly and Horatio chuckled lightly.

"I think you'll be inflicting pain on me then as well… I just hope you don't break my hands." Horatio said softly and she chuckled as she smiled up at him and then hopped into the shower with him.

XXXXXXXX

They pulled up at the hospital and Horatio helped Zoë out of the car slowly. They slowly walked in with linked arms and stopped by the shop when Horatio felt Zoë stop and look over.

"What would you like beautiful?" Horatio asked softly as he got his wallet out of his pocket. '_How can she still eat? She must be full after eating the amount she ate at breakfast.'_ Horatio thought to himself with his secret smile.

"Nothing, I'm good thank you." She said softly as she turned back to him and tried to walk again but Horatio stood still.

"We have time sweetheart, whatever you want you can have." Horatio assured her with a gentle smile.

"No it's okay; it's just a stupidly weird craving." She said as she tried to walk away again but he stood still.

"What is it sweetheart?" Horatio asked softly with a warm smile and she looked up at him a little embarrassed as she raised her eyebrows and lightly bit her lip.

"Erm… I want to eat those flowers, that's bad, isn't it?" She asked quietly and then watched a smile appear across his face as he tried to stifle a laugh. He looked down with a brilliant smile and then covered his mouth with his wallet as he calmed himself down. He pressed his lips together and then looked back up at her but she could tell from his still brilliant smile that he was highly amused.

"Okay sweetheart, I think we'll leave that craving alone." He said softly and Zoë nodded as she smiled back at him. They turned and continued to walk slowly arm in arm.

"Why do I want to eat flowers? Why do they look so yummy too?" She asked as she glanced back to the flowers on the stand.

"I'm not sure sweetheart, but I'm sure you're not the first." Horatio said softly and she looked up at him. They slowly walked up to Val's office and were then invited in. Horatio had noticed that Zoë wasn't showing any signs of nerves at all, but it wasn't something he was going to complain about.

"Hi Zoë, Horatio. Do come in and sit down. How are you both?" Val greeted pleasantly as they walked over to her having closed the door. They both shook her hand and then sat down when Zoe burst into tears.

"I wanted to eat flowers." She cried as she turned to Horatio who engulfed her in his arms as she leant over to him.

"We're good." Horatio said softly and Val nodded and then pulled out a few tissues for her and handed them to Zoë. Val gave her a few minutes to calm herself down and then gave her a warm smile as she handed Zoe a cup of water.

"Thank you." Zoe said softly and Val then sat back down.

"So flowers are the new craving?" Val asked and Zoë nodded as she looked over to the windowsill and saw a large bouquet of flowers. She frowned at them and stared at them feeling the temptation rocket skywards.

"Two seconds." Val said warmly as she got up and then walked out with the vase of flowers and then walked back in without them. She gave both Horatio and Zoë a very warm smile as she walked back around her desk to sit. "I don't want you eating my flowers, it's not good for you or them." Val smiled softly and Zoe began to laugh as a brilliant smile appeared.

"Sorry Val." She smiled softly as she wiped her eyes with the tissue and then put it away in her pocket when she felt better.

"No problem Zoë, how often are your moods changing?" Val asked softly as she turned to a blank page in Zoë's file.

"I've been really good actually; I think that was the first cry over nothing big since week 11." She said softly and Val nodded warmly. "My moods have been really good as well, better than usual. I've not been a horrendously stroppy bitch like I can be for some time now." Zoë said softly and Val nodded as she wrote a couple of things down.

"Okay, let me just get some blood from you before we do anything else." Val asked softly and Zoë nodded as she took her jacket off and gave Val her left arm one she had got up with a small tray and sat down beside Zoë on the stool. "I'm going to take it from your right this time; I can't keep taking it from the same places." Val said softly and Zoe nodded and then handed Val her right arm. "Any new cravings, other than flowers since the last time we spoke on the phone?" Val asked as she took Zoë's blood.

"No, I just want lots of food." She said softly and Val nodded.

"I have to say, you are probably my weirdest patient when it comes to cravings. I had cravings myself, but never anything like you." Val said softly with a wide smile and Zoë lightly giggled as she looked up at Val.

"You're lucky you're not around when I get a new craving, Horatio has to try whatever it is that I want with me." She smiled and Val chuckled as she looked up at Horatio and taped a small cotton ball over the needle site. Val moved back and then wrote on the small blood filled tubes.

"How have you been in general?" She asked softly as she looked back up at Zoë.

"Quite good, but I keep getting these pains here." Zoë said as she gestured to her lower stomach.

"Are they sharp?" Val asked and Zoe nodded.

"They're nothing to worry about, that's just round ligament pain, I told you about it when we first met. You're getting big now, so I expect you to be getting them if you move too quickly. Just try and go slowly and rest a lot. You might find you get them more if you stand or sit in a certain position, so just try and change position if that happens." Val said softly.

"Okay, just as long as they're normal." Zoë said softly and Val nodded as she moved back around the desk and put the blood pressure cuff on Zoë's arm.

"I've noticed that Zoë becomes quite breathless when walking or even when she doesn't do much and it's not her asthma. I've also noticed that she is breathing deeply when watching TV or relaxing." Horatio said softly and Val looked up to him once her blood pressure reading was given.

"That's normal, the babies are going to start squishing your organs and moving things around, so breathlessness is normal and is something that may get a little worse, but it should get better during the later pregnancy as your belly will drop a bit. If it gets bad enough to cause distress though, give me a call straight away." Val said softly and both Zoë and Horatio nodded. "Can you lift your top please?" Val asked softly as she pulled the cuff from Zoë's arm and wrote her blood pressure down and then pulled his stethoscope from her desk and moved closer to Zoe.

"From your ECG tracings that were taken a few weeks ago, everything looks good. Martin seems very happy with your heart side of things, but you're heart rate does seem to be a little higher than it was back them." Val said warmly before she began to listen to Zoë's lungs so asked her to take deep breaths.

"Surely that's normal though?" Zoë asked as she let her top go once Val was finished.

"Yes, but it's faster that it should be at this stage. I'll have a talk with Martin again and you may have to come back in a few days' time for another ECG, okay?" Val asked softly and Zoë nodded.

"Can you please stand on the scales?" Val asked and Zoë nodded and did as she was asked. Val then checked everything else needed out and wrote a few things down. Val then wrote down everything needed and gestured to the bed where Zoë walked next with Horatio following. His phone then started to vibrate in his pocket so he pulled it out as Zoë hopped onto the bed.

"I need to take this Zoë, is that okay?" Horatio asked and she shook her head as fright fleeted across her face.

"Okay, I'll answer it here, okay?" Horatio asked and she nodded.

"How are your breasts feeling?" Val asked quietly as Horatio faced away but held Zoë's hand.

"They're okay, the bra is fitting well and they're a lot heavier, but they're not painful anymore really." Zoë said and Val nodded.

"Any discharge from the nipples, or accidental dribbling?" Val asked with a small smile and Zoë lightly giggled as she shook her head at her.

"Nothing, and I've not even dribbled either." Zoë smiled back and Val nodded. "If you didn't know I was having twins, how many weeks would you think I was?" Zoë asked softly.

"About 25 weeks." Val said softly and Zoë smiled.

"How big am I going to get when I get to 36 weeks?" Zoë asked softly and curiously.

"There's no telling really, you'll look really big though because you're quite small anyway." Val said softly and Zoe nodded.

"Sorry Zoë, Eric wanted to know about my leave next week and whether he was in charge." Horatio said warmly and Zoë nodded as she tightened her grip on his hand a little and pulled him closer.

"I might be able to tell you the sexes of your babies today, but don't worry if I can't, okay?" Val asked tenderly and Zoe nodded.

"What do you think you're having?" Val asked with a smile as she pulled the ultrasound machine over and then drew the bed curtain around.

"I think we've got two boys." She smiled and Val nodded and then looked to Horatio with a warm smile.

"I think we've got two girls." Horatio said softly and Val nodded again.

"Is there a preference?" She asked softly while she set up the machine.

"One of each." Zoë smiled and Val nodded as she glanced back to Zoë.

"Alexx, a good friend of ours who is also a doctor thinks we've got boys though, she said that I'm carrying at the front like a football and that usually means boys. I've not put on weight anywhere else, my legs and arms are still skinny. If you looked at me from behind, you wouldn't even noticed that I was pregnant apparently." Zoë said softly and Val nodded.

"I would say you're having boys, but everyone's thoughts on how mothers carry are different." Val said softly and Zoe nodded excitedly.

"Can you show us our babies now please?" She smiled and Val nodded and sat on the edge of the bed as Zoë pulled her top up. She took Horatio's hand and looked up at him as she bit her lip. She could see the nerves forming in his eyes as she felt the familiar sensation of butterflies in her stomach. Val began the scan after applying the gel to Zoë's stomach and then turned the monitor so they could see and then turned the sound on.

"That is your babies heartbeats, both sound exceptionally healthy." Val smiled and Zoë nodded with a smile. She turned the sound back off and moved the device around on Zoë's stomach and concentrated on the screen.

"I've got the sexes of both of them." Val smiled as she glanced back to Horatio and Zoë. Zoë's and Horatio's eager eyes set upon her as they both tensed slightly. Zoë bit her lip as she looked at Val with wide eyes, it was clear they were both exceptionally excited.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

"You're having two girls." Val beamed and Zoë squealed as she looked up at Horatio and covered her gawping mouth as her eyes filled with tears.

"Two girls!" She squealed as she pulled Horatio down and wrapped her arms around his neck as Val moved away to give them space as she printed out a scan picture for them and moved the machine away. Zoe couldn't help but excitedly breathe deeply as she squealed again. "Two girls, Horatio!" She said excitedly as Horatio rubbed her back and nuzzled at the side of her head. He felt intoxicated with joy and disbelief, he knew he secretly wanted two daughters.

"Congratulations." Val said warmly with a wide smile as she wiped the gel from Zoë's stomach while Zoë and Horatio continued with their loving hug. Zoë kissed Horatio lightly a few times and then released him. She looked up at him with sparkling eyes as she swept away a falling tear as Val handed her the scan. Horatio moved closer and leant down slightly to look at the scan too.

"Our two baby girls." She said as she bit her lip and looked at the printout before she glanced back up at Horatio. "You were right Horatio!" She grinned and Horatio smiled with a nod before he placed a loving kiss on her lips. Zoë raised her hand to the back of his head as she kissed him back. She broke the kiss a moment later and looked back down at the scan. "Oh my gosh, they're our girls Horatio." She said as tears began to roll down her cheeks as she moved from the bed and pulled herself up using Horatio and then hugged him. Horatio's smile nearly pulled his face apart, he couldn't help but blissfully smile as his heart melted. His heart melted not only because it was very clear that Zoë was incredibly thrilled, but because it was what he wanted. The thought of two baby girls to him was completely enchanting, the thought of Zoë carrying his two daughters only intensified the feeling. "I'm so happy." She mumbled into his chest as Val minded her own business and put the machine away to give them their space and time together. "Maya has two little sisters, she's probably jumping for joy up in heaven right now." Zoë cried a little more hysterically as she held Horatio tighter.

"She probably is sweetheart." Horatio said softly as he rubbed her back and then kissed the top of her head. Zoë pulled back while she continued to cry and looked down at the scan with Horatio. She finally calmed herself down and looked back up at Horatio.

"They're our girls, I can't believe it." She said with a smile before she kissed him and then hugged him again. She turned back to Val and raised her eyebrows.

"Thank you so much." Zoë smiled warmly.

"No problem Zoë, I'm glad you're both very happy." She smiled warmly back.

"Can we go now? Please?" Zoë questioned before she bit her lip and Val nodded with a smile. She could see that Zoë wanted to go and tell others of the news.

"Thank you Val, thank you so much." Zoë said as she walked over to Val and warmly shook her hand.

"My pleasure." She said softly as Horatio approached and also shook her hand while Zoë looked at the scan again with a beaming smile. "You're free to go, just don't eat any flowers, okay?" Val said softly and Zoe nodded with a smile and then took Horatio's hand. They exited with smiles on their faces and Horatio put the scan in his pocket again after looking down at it with his blissful smile. They walked through the corridor as Zoë quickly texted Nathan of the news before he had a chance to hear it from Val. She then linked arms with Horatio and beamed up at him.

"We're going to have to go shopping soon I think, I won't be able to walk around the shops for long when I'm much bigger." She said softly as they walked over to the car and Horatio nodded.

"We'll go soon then." He said softly and she nodded as she bit her lip. "Where too first?" Horatio asked softly as they walked over to their car.

"The lab, then over to Joe's office, please?" Zoë asked softly and Horatio nodded and then pulled off and handed Zoë the scan again. "I can't believe we're having girls." Zoë grinned as more tears fell once again. She wiped them as Horatio placed his hand on her thigh with his brilliant smile still plastered on his face. "I was convinced we were having boys and that they were going to have your cheeky streak as well as your naughty side as it's them that are making me want to eat flowers!" She grinned and Horatio chuckled lightly as he glanced over to her and lightly rubbed her thigh.

"No, they've got your very cheeky and very naughty streak." Horatio grinned at her before he looked back to the road. She giggled lightly at him before looking back down to the scan and then lightly rubbing her free hand over her stomach.

"If they're anything like me, God help you you're in for some trouble." Zoë grinned back up at him. "I know you can only just about handle me, but handling 3 of us may be a little difficult." Zoë grinned and Horatio chuckled as he glanced over to her again.

"I like a challenge." Horatio grinned and she laughed again.

"Cheeky devil," she smiled as she put her hand over his and beamed up at him as he concentrated on the road with his smile still on his face.

They arrived at the lab and walked in hand in hand with wide smiles. Eric and Walter walked over to them as they walked through the lab.

"Hey!" She smiled as she hugged Eric tightly and then kissed his cheek before she lightly hugged Walter and beamed back up at them as she moved back and took hold of Horatio's hand.

"Everything okay?" Eric asked lightly when he noticed her watery eyes.

"Yeah, they were happy tears, don't worry." She smiled when she realised he'd clocked onto her eyes just as Alexx walked over to them with a wide smile herself.

"Hey baby girl, how was the appointment? Do you know yet?" Alexx asked as she hugged Zoë, then Horatio.

"That's why we're here." Zoë grinned as she nearly jumped for joy.

"Come on then, spill baby." Alexx beamed as she crossed her arms and looked at both Horatio and Zoë with curious eyes as Eric and Walter did the same.

"Can we go into the break room first, I need to sit down." She said softly and they nodded. Eric got her a glass of water and then sat on the other sofa as Zoë sat on Horatio's lap with Alexx next to them and Walter next to Eric. They'd all clocked on to Horatio's brilliant smile but they could see that he was trying his hardest to tone it down whilst Zoë was just letting her smile rip through her face until she asked a particular question.

"Where's Nat?" She asked as she glanced around and they all sensed a hesitant tone in her voice, Horatio knew why while the others were none the wiser while Eric had a suspicion – she didn't want Natalia to find out about Maya at all and there was an increased chance of something being let slip when the talk of pregnancy came up around her.

"Talking to Valera." Walter said softly and she nodded and then looked back to Alexx with her confidence growing again as her blissful smile returned to 100%

"Do you still think we're having boys?" Zoë asked Alexx and Alexx looked down at her belly and then placed her hand over it. Alexx pressed her lips together and then lightly rubbed as she looked back up at Zoë and Horatio with her smile widening again.

"Yes, I think you have boys." Alexx smiled and Zoë then looked to Eric as she bit her lip.

"One of each" Eric said softly with a smile.

"Same as Eric" Walter said when she looked at him and his smile grew more as he watched Zoë nearly explode with excitement.

"The winner is… Horatio, we've got two girls." Zoë grinned as she jumped on his lap and bit her lip hard as she looked at all three of them.

"Two girls?" Alexx asked excitedly with a delighted grin.

"Yeah!" Zoë squealed as she took hold of both of Horatio's hands and placed them on her stomach.

"Congratulations!" Alexx grinned as she leant over and hugged Zoë and then rubbed Horatio's arm as he rubbed Zoë's back gently after removing his hands from her stomach to allow Alexx to run her hand back over Zoë's stomach. Both Walter and Eric congratulated them too, they could both feel a burst of energy rush through their blood when both Zoë's and Horatio's infectious happiness reached them.

"Horatio's going to have his hands full if they're both anything like me. I already feel sorry for him." Zoë grinned and all three chuckled.

"Have you thought of names yet?" Alexx asked softly as Zoë sipped the water and then shook her head.

"Not yet, we'll have that discussion a little later on in the pregnancy I think." Zoë said softly and Alexx nodded in understanding.

"I can't believe there's two of them in there. Horatio Caine's daughters, oh God help the boys that ever take an interest in them." Zoë said as she lifted her top and rubbed her stomach after putting her glass back down while they all chuckled again. Horatio knew it was true though, as did the other 3. They knew that if anyone messed with his daughters, Horatio would be likely to kill them if it was bad enough.

"Look, if you didn't know I was having twins, how many weeks would you say I was?" Zoë asked Alexx.

"25" she replied and Zoë nodded.

"Val said the same, I can't believe how big I am!" Zoë smiled softly as Alexx reached over and placed her hand on Zoë's stomach again.

"Have you felt them kick yet?" She asked and Zoë shook her head.

"I'm hoping I'll feel them soon though." Zoë said softly and Alexx nodded with a smile as she looked back down to Zoë's stomach.

"You don't have any stretch marks yet either, you're very lucky." Alexx smiled as she looked back up at Zoë who nodded.

"I'm not even half-way through the pregnancy yet, give me a chance." Zoë smiled softly with a light giggle. "Vitamin moisturiser seems to be working wonders though." Zoë said softly and Alexx nodded and then looked down at her stomach again sharply. Zoë also looked down and placed her hand next to Alexx's. She looked back up at Alexx.

"Did… was that a kick?" Zoë asked and Alexx nodded and then saw the wide grin appear across Zoë's face. Alexx quickly removed her hand as Zoë squealed and grabbed Horatio's hand. "Horatio! Put your hand there." She said as she placed it where Alexx's hand was and then put her hand close to it. She bit her lip and looked down at the glass of water on the coffee table. She then looked back to Horatio who's grin was from ear to ear once again. "Can you feel it? It's like a little flutter!" She beamed and squealed again. She gave him a kiss and then bit her lip as she pulled back and looked into his eyes as she placed her other hand on her stomach again.

"Oh my gosh, this is amazing." Zoë smiled up at Alexx. She then looked back to Horatio again. "Best day of the pregnancy so far." She grinned at Horatio and he agreed as he looked down to her belly and lightly moved his hand before Zoë gasped and moved hers. "The other one is kicking now!" Zoë grinned as she moved her hand and looked back to Horatio with such a happy smile that made his heart melt even more than it already was. "This is weird… there's so many kicks." She said as she looked from Horatio to Alexx. Horatio removed his hand when he could feel himself becoming too happy and even slightly emotional. That was something he didn't want to show in front of anyone but Zoë. '_We can finally feel our two baby girls kicking. I've missed that feeling, I only wish we could have experienced more of it with Maya.'_ Horatio thought to himself as Zoë pulled her top down and then picked up her glass to finish it before she slowly got back up and rubbed her lower right abdomen while she got up.

"Are you getting round ligament pains yet?" Alexx asked and Zoë nodded as she turned back to them and placed her hand on Horatio's shoulder as she loosely shook her left leg when she felt pins and needles.

"Yeah, they're awful, but Val's talked us through them." Zoë said softly as she looked at Alexx with a sweet smile. Alexx then looked back to Horatio and she could see that he was hiding his emotions from them, but she knew he was absolutely over the moon and she felt incredible for Horatio. Zoë then walked over to the sink and washed the glass up and put it away as the 4 of them engaged in conversation. Two roses then caught Zoë's eye that sat on the side in a jug of water and her craving set it's claws into her again. She swallowed as she felt her salivary glands releasing the saliva again in a large quantity. She picked one up and looked at it as she lightly ran her tongue over her bottom lip. She glanced up at the 4 of them and they were still deep in conversation. She then smelt the rose and it made her sneeze lightly causing Horatio to look back at her just as she was about to take a bite out of the head of the rose.

"Zoë!" Horatio said sharply as he quickly got up. She dropped the rose as he'd startled her as she looked up at him, looking shocked. Horatio quickly got up and made his way over to her as Alexx did the same.

"What are you doing?" Alexx asked softly as Zoë sneezed again and looked up at Horatio and then bit her lip as he handed her a tissue.

"Er…" Zoë murmured as she looked at Horatio as he bent down and picked the rose up and put it back in the jug.

"Were you going to eat that?" Alexx asked as she raised her eyebrows and placed her hands on her hips and Zoë nodded as she looked down at the floor.

"I'm getting cravings for flowers…" Zoë said as she bit her lip and then looked over to Walter and Eric as they began to laugh as they walked over to her and stood by Alexx. "I'm being serious; I actually have cravings to eat flowers. Val had to take her flowers out of the room earlier." Zoë said softly and Alexx smiled at her a little amused.

"Now that is not something you hear every day." Alexx smiled softly and Zoë nodded as she looked back up at Alexx and then sneezed again.

"Bless you." Horatio said as he handed her another tissue.

"It would help if I wasn't allergic to them. Roses don't usually set me off, but I did just put my nose in the rose, so I'm not surprised." Zoë said softly and Alexx nodded with a light chuckle as Horatio moved closer to Zoë and began to lightly rub her lower back.

"Take your tablets, but not your nasal spray." Alexx said softly.

"I don't need them at the moment, I'll stop sneezing soon, as I say, I'm not usually affected by roses." Zoë said softly and Alexx nodded.

"Okay baby girl." Alexx smiled warmly.

"Anyway, we have to go and see Joe and I'm getting really hungry, so we should go or I'll end up eating you all." Zoë said softly and they smiled with a soft chuckle. They said their goodbye's and walked with Horatio and Zoë over to the lift. Horatio and Zoë linked arms as they looked back to the 3 others who still looked ecstatic for them.

"What about Natalia?" Walter asked bravely.

"You can tell her if you want; she'll find out one way or another. Just please don't say anything about… about… you know." Zoë said softly with a shrug and he nodded as the lift doors closed as she looked down.

They drove over to Joe's office and told him the news too, he was just as ecstatic as they were when they found out. She then rang Kaitlin once she was home as Horatio prepared lunch and Horatio could hear that Zoë was squealing, and knew Kaitlin was doing the same. '_Just how do they understand each other?_' Horatio thought to himself as he tried to make out exactly what Zoë was saying but simply couldn't. '_We'll have all of the neighbourhoods dogs over here soon thinking it's that silent whistle.' _Horatio thought to himself before he then took a deep breath when he thought about the up and coming week. '_This is going to be a very challenging week, I know it will be.'_ Horatio thought to himself as he swallowed.

The End

** Thank you all for reading and reviewing! Next story: "Dark Secret"**


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